Thomas kobjohn



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

THOMAS ROBJOHN, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

PEDAL FOR ORG-ANS, 86C.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS RoBJoHx, of Iew York, county of New York, andState of `Yew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inthe Pedals of Organs; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being made tothe annexed drawing, making a part of this specification, which is fullydescribed herein-tliat is to say:

My invention of improvement in organ pedals has for its objectfacilitating the execution of the feet upon the same, especially uponthose pedal keys most distant from the body of the player. IVhen thecompass of keys exceeds one octave and a half, the distance of theremote keys, in the old inode, is so great as to require a considerablestretch of the foot as well as a shifting of the body of the player inorder to reach them with certainty. This interferes greatly, not onlywith the comfort of the player, but it also limits the degree ofexecution possible to be accomplished. In my improvement, however, thisis overcome by so arranging the pedal keys that they shall lie all atthe same general distance from the body of the player, and thisarrangement is continued in two directions, viz. one, as it were, ofequal radii from the body of the player, and the other at a right angleto that, or from the direction of the knee. Thus, in a plan view, thekeys would assume the fan shape, while if viewed in a transversevertical section, parallel with the manual, they would exhibit a concavesur face.

At A is seen the pedal frame, placed as usual in front of the key boardor manual, and beneath the organist-s seat, which will be above and restupon the platform B. The other ends of the pedal keys are hinged beneaththe plat-forin, in the usual manner, with their free or operating endsextending toward the organ, said keys being shown at C. It will be seenthat they extend from 19,312, dated February 9*, 1858.

B, in a somewhat fan shaped arrangement, so that the width of the wholeset under the seat is much less than at their free or acting ends. Thisshows one form of the arrangement; the other is that by which theirsurface is concave, and as shown b y the curve of the cross-rail D. Onthe free ends of the pedals are the eyes (e) for pulling down thetrackers, as usual.

The opeiation is as follows. The organist sits centrally over theplatform B; and the legs being bent at the knee at a right angle, thefeet will hang over that part of the pedals upon which they are to act,as at (i), requiring a little forward movement to touch the semi-tonekeys, as usual. Turning on the body as a center, it will be seen thatthe feet will sweep over the playing parts of the pedals in the arc of acircle. Thus one feature of facility of reaching the keys is apparent.The other feature is important when the leg from the knee downward movesacross the keys, having the knee as a center, thus describing` a curvein the other direction conforming to the cencavity of the inverted archD.

From all this it will be seen that a greatly increased facility isafforded for execution, since all the keys lie within easy reachingdistance, as well as that the arrangement is such as to accord with thenatural movement of the body while in the act of playing.

Although I have described this arrangement as for organs, it is equallyadapted to all other instruments wherein pedal playing is practiced.

I claim- The herein described arrangement of organ pedals in the radialand concave form, to facilitate the performance thereon, as set forth.

In witness whereof T have hereunto subscribed my name.

THOS. ROBJOIIN.

In presence of- S. H. MxrNi-inn, THOMAS DUCEY.

